Swing

Swing music developed in the 1930's in America. It was a distinctive form of music. It's rhythm was provided by brass and woodwind instruments trumpet, trombone, saxophones and clarinets. The drums were the anchor for the rest of the instruments. The name swing was derived for the feel the music gave. a slow pulse to the music. The swing band usually featured a singer who would basically give his or her version of the music. The music and tempo would usually be set by the singer. One of the most prominent bands of the swing era was Benny Goodman. The band was very popular between 1935-1946 and had reached its peak in the 1940's. During WWII the swing band began to decline in popularity. Many of the musicians were now overseas fighting in the war. So it was very difficult to put together a "big band". Swing saw a comeback in the 1950's and 60's with singers such as Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and Nat king Cole. Swing at one time blended with other genres to create new sub-genres. Country music artist such as Jimmy Rogers mix the elements of swing with blues to create western swing. In the late 1970's and 80's swing music was preformed at supper clubs it was a more sophisticated performance with more urban style. The fans were dressed to the hilt and in trendier fashions it was a place to dance to a live band. The Cotton Club in Harlem was one of the most popular places to hear and dance to swing music. It was a whites only club but it was the place where many black musicians got their start it operated during the prohibition era. Musicians such as Call Calloway and Duke Ellington played there. Singers such as Billy Holiday and Lena Horn were featured singers. It was the IN place for celebrities to meet and enjoy the music. Today, there is an orchestra known as the Bean town swing orchestra that is bringing back swing music. They preform the oldies as well as original music. they want to bring the music back, for future generations to enjoy. The band preforms concerts because they want to entertain and educate people with the history of the most sophisticated form of American music ever. 

Calypso

Calypso music originated in Trinidad in the 17th century. It came from people who came from Africa and used by them to relive their traditions. The carnival was brought to Trinidad by the French. The music genre grew. Calypso derived from the word "Kaiso" used to describe songs. There are some arguments as to the real roots of Calypso. A historian asserted that Calypso music resulted from the music of the medieval troubadours. The people of Trinidad argue that the birth date of Calypso was in Trinidad in the 1950's. Lord Kitchener was known as the "grand master" of Calypso. The music was developed for slaves to communicate and protest against the class system. It has become a source of history and tradition in their society. It helps them to reflect on their past
and celebrate their cultural richness. The music has both cultural and social significance. Carnival takes place prior to lent every year and is one of the most elaborate celebration In the Caribbean. The festivities are bright in color and the costumes are very intricate and extraordinary this is when Calypso music fills the air. The residents are of many different races but all manage to unite during the carnival season. Calypso became worldwide when Harry Belafonte recorded "Banana boat song". It was also influenced by Jazz and the musicians improvised the words to adapt to the music. The rhythm of the music indicated what words were used. The tempo of the music is indicative to the mood of the singer it changes with the singers need for personal reflection and offering. Because of the reverence the people of Trinidad put on this music it is sure to survive. With the tradition of the Carnival the music genre has a strong hold in music history. The music will live on through the generations and will continue to reflect the many cultures of Trinidad. It will continue to spread as the people immigrate to other countries. Toronto has become a worldwide celebration of Calypso through the grand celebration of carnival. I personally think that Calypso music is quite amazing to listen to, The compositions that these artists come up with are great and I could listen to them all day. I wish Calypso music was more popular in Canada because it is thruly an amzing genre.

Country

Country music is believed to have originated in the Southern state: Atlanta and Georgia in the early 1900. It seems to have begun with folk. western music combination. It is a sub genre of gospel but with a country flair. It became very popular in the 1990's. The early country music was found mostly with the mountain music especially the Appalachian mountains. The musical instruments are mostly fiddles and many homemade instruments. The rural areas found the music mostly in the churches. Some of the well known singers of today had their beginnings in their local churches  The movies produced the singing cowboys. The songs consisted of their daily adventures on the western frontier. Some songs lasted the test of time. The music produced many family groups. The Carter family was country's first famous vocal group. In later years there was the Oak Ridge Boys. The Statler Brothers and the Judds. Nashville turned out to be the heart of country music and turned country music into a multimillion dollar industry. It brought the music to a larger audience. The grand old opry became the center for established as well as new musicians. Many artists owe their success to Nashville. The term Rockabilly was born to country music in the 1950's. This is when Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash introduced their songs which to this day are still very popular althou
gh many of the music went  back to their musical roots. I personally don't listen to country music a lot. But, I do respect how they came to be and I see how many people could enjoy the emotion that they put into all of their songs. Every artist has stories to tell, and I find that Country music stars have some of the best stories. whether they are sad, happy or just genuinely real. It's a great genre.

Gospel

Gospel music is a combination of Jazz music and church music. It is performed for many different occasions such as ceremonial reasons, religious reasons or purely just for entertainment purposes. Gospel music can be traced back to the 17th century with it's roots in the black culture. The churches used clapping to accompany many of the sacred songs. The singing was done acappella. Most people couldn't read so they used repetition words as music. The first published Gospel song appeared in 1874 which enabled publishing houses to develop. When radio first appeared in the 1920's the music became more popular. After World War II this genre was more prominent in concert halls and auditoriums. There are a few sub genres of gospel music such as: Bluegrass and Celtic. Bluegrass music grew from the music of the mountain people. The people of the Appalachian mountains used this as their main form of entertainment. They used fiddles and banjos as their musical instruments. The Celtic subgenre has all of the essential parts of gospel but has it's roots in the Irish culture and has more of a religious conation. I really enjoy listening to Gospel music, it's always very energetic and full of peace and love. People who play still play Gospel music in church are mostly the African American churches. Their sermons are usually a lot more energetic than that of the Caucasian churches. Now a days people can read, but they still use the repetition which enables much easier following when it comes to the hymns. I like the way Gospel sounds, especially the Celtic sub genre. They're voices are gorgeous and I love the music that accompanies it. Every church has a different interpretation of the Gospel genre, they all sing the same hymns but with different styles to accompany it. 

Folk music

There are two types of folk music. One is usually very old and no one seems to know the composer. It belongs to people or culture of the ordinary people. It is usually songs and music that people have sung and played for many years, some of them can be derived from nursery rhymes, One learned as a child. The other type is made to sound like the old folk music but is usually written by modern day artists. They keep the same music and feel that

the old folk music does but they change it up to fit our modern society. I personally don't listen to folk music on a daily basis but, I've heard that it was a very popular genre back in the day. Folk music can be heard in a lot of different cultures, it has been around for many decades and will remain for many more. I do really love the fact that it's in many cultures, because with that we can all relate to each other through the same music genre, it's nice to know that we can all reunite through the amazing music and lyrics. American folk music can't be traced to any specific time frame. Some music is traditional rather than a form of entertainment. The music tells stories of families throughout the generations. Some stories are historic others are made up. It includes the community of the working class, including the hardship and struggles of the people. It seems as if no matter the exact origin of that specific folk music it still manages to tell amazing stories about many different families and everything that they've been through. I find that amazing! I love the fact that we can all connect through one form of music, It's so cool to know that our ancestors have been listening to the same music as us for many years! To conclude, I believe that folk music is very influential to our society due to the fact that we can all stay connected with this one huge genre of music.
  

Jazz

The jazz genre is a super influential to our society. Jazz was a big thing back in the day. And was mostly brought to attention from the African American community. The smooth beat and the soothing sounds from jazz is honestly what draws me to this style. I love jazz, I always have. I don't always listen to jazz mostly because if I did I would fall asleep thanks to the soothing music but I'd honestly recommend jazz for a relaxing night at home. Jazz music is very influential on my opinion of fashion of the olden days.. When I think of jazz I imagine people sharp dressed and wearing suit carrying a saxophone and jamming out, it's a typically cool style. I honestly love Jazz it's a very calming yet it still manages to attract your attention as you listen. It's typically brass instruments that are used in jazz to create that said sound. for example saxophones, trombones, trumpets and many more. Jazz is one of my favourite genres because of its soothing sounds, the intense emotions emitting from its sound and the many cultures it has influenced by just genuinely being awesome. I'd honestly recommend listening to Jazz.

Rock

The rock genre has been around since the dawn of Elvis, the original king of rock and its stuck around ever since! A lot of people believe that rock has affected our society in negative ways which I understand, but people always seem to forget about the great ways rock has influence our society. Rock has influenced our society in the way of fashion. I personally love the rock style it portrays the whole "I'm a rebel and I've got an attitude" which I can personally relate to. Rock is composed of many sub genres including: Alternative, grunge, heavy metal.. And so many more. The genre has influenced the creation of over 50 sub genres. With all of these genres comes plenty of bands. which , creates more opportunity for people to express their true talent. Here are a few of my personal favorite bands: The pretty reckless, Avenged Sevenfold and Five Finger Death Punch. The Pretty Reckless is composed of Taylor Momsen (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) Ben Phillips (lead guitar and backing vocals) Mark Damon (bass) and Jamie Perkins (drums) they're one of my favorite bands because of the content they put out. The raw emotion in Taylor's voice is so apparent and raspy, she's seriously one of my favorite people to listen to. Avenged Sevenfold is another band I'm in love with. It's composed of M. Shadows (Matt sanders) who has lead vocals. Zacky vengeance (lead guitar) Synyster Gates (lead guitarist) Johnny Christ (bass) and Arin lljay (drums) I also love them because of the lead singers voice. Matt has a very deep raspy voice which I'm personally in love with. Finally, Five Finger Death punch which is composed of Ivan Moody (lead vocalist) Zoltan Bathory (lead guitarist) Darrell Roberts (guitarist) Jeremy Spencer (drummer). I love this band mostly because of  the music they produce. The intense lyrics that match the loud emotional music perfectly.  I'm obsessed with this genre mostly because of how intensely emotional it can be. It's left a big impact on our society and I hope it lives on forever.